Akron Civic Theatre to host its first ever drag show in support of Akron Pride Festival

Event will feature fifteen drag queens competing for the title of Miss Akron Pride Festival 2018

The Akron Pride Festival is taking the stage of the Akron Civic Theatre to dazzle and entertain audiences young and old all in support of the 2nd Annual Akron Pride Festival. The inaugural Drag Battle and Show will take place Friday, April 20 kicking off LGBTQ Pride Month celebrated in June. To add to the excitement, the headline entertainer for the pride festival will be announced from the Civic stage.

The event will feature fifteen queens all competing for the crown and title of Miss Akron Pride Festival 2018. The top eight performers will all be offered performance opportunities during the Akron Pride Festival taking place on Saturday, August 25 at Hardesty Park. National fan-favorite Raven of RuPaul’s Drag Race will host the evening. Raven placed second on early seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s All Star Drag Race, which lead to her being named the epitome of 2000s-era drag by Vanity Fair.

Competing drag queens will be evaluated from a panel of locally known judges on crowd following, costume design, runway lip sync along with a questions & answers section. Judges include Cody “Poundcake” Brown of the Alan Cox Show, Features Editor Lynne Sherwin of the Akron Beacon Journal, pageant professional Antonio Stanton, State Representative Emilia Sykes, as well as lifestyle blogger and communications manager Dina Younis of the GAR Foundation.

During the show, local performer Rosita Estefan will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades of support in the Akron area and beyond. Starting as a folk singer, Estefan began entertaining audiences in northeast Ohio in the 1970s. Her years of pageants and competitions lead her to win the Miss Gay Classic USA. Estefan is known as a pillar in the community and her performances have benefited dozens of causes and organizations such as Breast Cancer Awareness, Anything for Children, the David B. Cook Fund, CANAPI and Violet’s Cupboard.

Ticket sales and merchandise sold at the Civic Theatre event will all go to support the 2018 Akron Pride Festival. Doors open for the April 20 event at 8PM. Tickets and more information can be obtained at www.akronpridefestival.org.